hat coveted MBA degree looks a distant dream for a majority of aspirants who simply cannot afford the average academic fee of around Rs 4 lakh a year. Reliance Infocomm and the Xavier Institute of Management, Bhubaneshwar (XIM-B), however, have come together to offer these students a reason to cheer about. In a tie-up, which the duo claims is a first of its kind in India, they will offer a one-year Post Graduate Certificate Programme in Business Management (PCPBM) through Reliance Infocomm�s WebWorlds in a hundred Indian towns. While for the student community it means getting top-class education home-delivered, for the service provider, it gives access to a vast market otherwise difficult to enter.

The arrangement works like this: The broadband centres at the 240 WebWorlds in these 100 towns will operate like virtual classrooms, where students will get real-time lessons in management from XIM-B professors. "It (the programme) will enable hundreds of working and non-working youth in these towns, often without access to proper educational infrastructure, get the much sought-after XIM-B degree," says Sarup Chowdhary, chief operating officer, Reliance WebWorld. Chowdhary has a point there. Students in less privileged locations find high-end vocational courses out of reach. Many can�t move to metros, where most of the top-end institutions are located, due to family liabilities. "Given the country�s geographical vastness, virtual classes are the way forward," adds Chowdhary. The course is also aimed at mid-career executives. The fee stands at Rs 1.8 lakh, and it can be paid in instalments.... more